Cory Semper had a sly smile on his face. One by one, his players left Cardozo with shoulders upright and heads held high. The Judges handed Bayside its first league loss, 66-63, Tuesday night before a packed crowd, but outright defeat, this wasn’t.

Sure, Bayside fell short, but the overriding message, at least for the Commodores was that this duel was to be continued; that, after a brief hiatus, the Battle for Bayside is back on; that one of the city’s best rivalries was renewed.

“They know now it’s not like last year anymore,” said sophomore guard Austin Williams, referring to a pair of lopsided losses last season. “They’re not gonna blow us out anymore. We’re right here with them, we could’ve had them.”

Bayside (9-2, 5-1 Queens AA), indeed, stood toe-to-toe with powerful Cardozo (5-0, 5-0) at Cardozo and hardly flinches. The Commodores trailed much of the way, but never by more than 11 and had the ball down three with five seconds remaining.

Semper’s club had been the surprise of the PSAL up to this point, a hard-nosed, guard-oriented team known for last-minute comebacks. After missing much of last year because of academic ineligibility, William Dobie, the younger cousin of former McClancy legend Antawn Dobie, has taken command of the team; Williams (team-high 14 points) is one of the top sophomores in the city; the 6-foot-6 Uzonna Akazi brings a low-post presence to the Commodores that was previously lacking; and forwards Wayne Mitchell and Alonso Pizzaro and undersized guard Cantrell Barker are all scrappers that created problems for Cardozo.

“We’re not going anywhere,” said Semper, a former assistant coach at Molloy College now in his third year. “We’re willing to fight.”

Already, Bayside has won three times in the final seconds, topping Harlem powerhouse Wadleigh and Queens foes Campus Magnet and Beach Channel. It was undefeated before falling to Catholic school power Holy Cross, 69-55, Monday night. And though the Commodores are now starting up at the Judges, they left empowered by their performance.

“I felt like we bounced back,” the coach said. “A few bad shots, a couple of turnovers was the difference in the game, but we’re right there.”

Cardozo coach Ron Naclerio didn’t disagree.

“When we got them down early, they didn’t quit; you got to give them credit,” he said. “They’re up-and-coming. … We won the game, which is the objective, but when we go to Bayside it’s gonna be a war.”